


More Than A Copy

by The_Power_of_Names



Category: Death Note & Related Fandoms
Genre: Mentions of Character Death, Out of Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-07-23 13:30:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20009086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Power_of_Names/pseuds/The_Power_of_Names
Summary: An exhausted Chief Yagami stumbles across a young man in town and brings him back to headquarters thinking it is L. A case of mistaken identities that proves dangerous when the young man is found to harbor an intense hatred for both L & Kira.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This piece has been in progress for a long time. I'm hoping that posting what is written with inspire me to complete it.

Beyond was tired, soaked from the rain, and craving some jam. It had been a simple matter to get out of prison, what with Kira killing off criminals all over the world. Faking a heart attack was so easy and it only had to last long enough for someone to take his pulse and find nothing. Then it was just a matter of walking out of the morgue. All that was left was to get Kira. 

That pathetic piece of shit.

Narrowing down Kira's location had been a simple matter as well. Looking at the original victims placed Kira in Japan. Further investigation informed Beyond that not only was Kira in Japan, but L was too. The criminal suppressed a growl at the thought of the detective. Hopefully he would be able to take down Kira without running into L at all.

His thoughts were interrupted by a car pulling up alongside him with the windows rolled down. Inside was a man who looked as tired as Beyond felt. 

"Ryuzaki! What are you doing out here?"

That was interesting. A quick glance above the man's head told Beyond who was addressing him. Yagami Soichiro. A middle aged man who still had many years ahead of him. 

"Yagami-san," Beyond greeted the man. "I needed to think in a new setting."

The man seemed to understand the reasoning in his lie, but seemed unwilling to go away.

"Well, Ryuzaki, do you need a ride back to headquarters? No sense in you getting sick from being out in this rain."

It only took a few seconds for Beyond to make a decision. He knew something was wrong since the man knew his alias, but the reality was that he had nowhere to stay, very little money, and it was highly possible for him to get sick from being out in the rain for so long. So, the criminal took a few steps over to the car. A gesture from Mr. Yagami later, they were both inside the metal body headed down the road.

****

Headquarters didn't look like much. It did, however, reek of sugar and Beyond had to force himself not to retreat back outside. There were a handful of people inside and all were busy with something or another. Except for the one who decided to walk over to the door Beyond and Yagami had come in through.

"Hey, Ryuzaki, when'd you head out? You're soaked."

A quick glance upwards informed Beyond that the annoying individual was Matsuda Touta. He opened his mouth to speak when an extremely familiar name appeared over the face of an old man. Suddenly all the words he could have said froze in his throat. Quillish Whammy. There was only one reason that man would be around and Beyond had no desire to interact with that reason for even a moment.

"Matsuda-san, do return to your work," he said carefully. "Yagami-san, you should return to your work as well. Thank you for your earlier assistance."

Whammy had retreated through a doorway while he spoke and the criminal couldn't help hoping that he could leave again before the old man returned. He had just turned his back when the sound of a throat clearing hit his ears followed by that voice.

"I had hoped Watari was mistaken, but clearly this is a serious breech in security. Who brought him in here?" That last bit was delivered in a raised voice with an undertone that bordered on threatening. Sensing that the detective was mostly surprised and the situation was inevitable, Beyond faced the man he copied.

"Who says that I didn't bring myself?" 

It was a taunt- they both knew it. Unfortunately, it was a taunt at a person who would never understand the humor of it in three lifetimes... and Beyond was clearly able to see that the great detective didn't have that long.

L answered with pure venom that seemed to draw in the other inhabitants of the headquarters. "Get him out of here, now."

Beyond put on a smile that was only a degree shy of crazy before moving directly in front of L. It would have been so easily to kill L where he stood; instead the copy took a moment to congratulate himself on how closely he resembled the hated detective. It just made him feel better when he realized that the 'team' could see the similarities between them as well. So much the better.

"You missed me that much, Lawlipop? I'm flattered." Beyond's voice matched L's in venom, but he kept the somewhat psychotic grin on his face. Neither man was willing to back down from the unspoken challenge. 

To be perfectly honest, the two would probably have continued to glare at each other for the rest of the day and night. That never happened though because Whammy decided to intervene.

"Ryuzaki-"

"Yes?" both answered immediately.

"L," he amended, "would you check the records on our guest?"

The detective said nothing, just retreated back into the room he appeared from and for a moment Beyond felt a touch of gratefulness directed at Whammy. This was short lived when the old man ordered him in very clear terms to remain in the room until given permission to depart.

It also seemed that the old man's behavior prompted the other participants in the room to keep an eye on him. Mostly from a distance. That is, until that damnable Matsuda decided to press for information.

"So... is your name really Ryuzaki too?"

"It is one of my names-"

"Cool," Matsuda interrupted. "Are you two brothers or something?"

This prompted an honest smirk as Beyond imagined L's reaction to them sharing blood. The detective would probably freak out a bit. That gave him a brilliant idea.

"Ryuzaki Rue. I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Matsuda-san. Unfortunately, my Lawlipop doesn't seem to want me here, so there is a good chance that I shall continue my investigation elsewhere."

"Lollipop? Weird nickname. Why do you call him that?"

Here Beyond hesitated. He wanted L dead, but not over something as simple as a nickname. "He still eats all those sweets, yes. Well, one of those sweets he likes is a lollipop and that happens to start with the letter L. Using it frustrates him and amuses me. Certainly you must understand." There was a nod from Matsuda, so Beyond asked what had been running through his mind since Yagami offered him a ride. "What can you tell me about the investigation's progress?"

Who would have thought it? That one little question turned a valve somewhere and the dam guarding Matsuda's mouth was opened. The man told him that they were hunting down Kira and something about a second Kira who could kill just by seeing your face. That was a bit intriguing, but the more the man spoke the less Beyond found himself listening. Before long the criminal was convinced Matsuda was most certainly annoying. The fact that the man was also staring at him as though cataloging the differences between he and L was just a touch too much. 

He found himself ignoring the man in favor of observing Whammy who had just returned to the room, but appeared to still be speaking with L who was in the other room.


	2. Chapter 2

Watari was still exactly the same, Beyond thought as he watched the old man converse with his prized child. A quick glance above the man's head also revealed many more years to lose all those fine white hairs he had too. Beyond actually respected the man Watari was; since without Quillish Whammy's generosity Beyond would never have grown as he did. 

Those few moments of contemplation did not successfully distract the young criminal from the ever-curious detective Matsuda who was clearly fascinated by his physical appearance. Uncomfortable with the other's staring, Beyond decided to continue to ignore everything about the officer. 

"You have scars."

Except that.

His eyes hardened as he prepared to respond, but Whammy got there first. Of course, the old man wouldn't want it known that one of his 'kids' set himself on fire. That would just make for some worry and unpleasant rumors among the group, no doubt.

"Matsuda-san, my apologies, but I need to ask your new friend to come with me." Always so polite. "Rue, come along."

He followed Watari into a small room where L was perched on a chair waiting. There was an empty chair across from the detective and a table covered in a large selection of sweets between the two. Beyond scanned the table and felt a flicker of disappointment when he saw no jam. A slow breath and then he perched on the opposite chair creating a dark reflection. 

"So, Lawli, what could you possibly have to say to me?" 

The detective's eyes narrowed. "Well, you were declared dead so we can't send you back to prison. Regardless you cannot be allowed the freedom to leave headquarters."

"Why not?"

"You and L share a certain resemblance and use the same alias," Watari answered. "That could be dangerous if you were mistaken by someone who was not part of the task force."

"Also, in regards to the task force," L continued, "you are not to assist or interfere with their investigation. You make no mention of your 'game' in L.A. and you continue to go by Ryuzaki Rue."

"You realize that will probably reinforce the possibility of us being family to them, Lawlipop?"

"Be quiet, Backup," L ordered in a harsh tone. "You are under my roof and will abide by my rules. Another of which is that you never call me by that ridiculous name again."

Beyond hopped off of the chair. "Or what?"

"Or you will be placed in an institution of Watari's choosing for the rest of your miserable life."

Beyond's hands balled up into tight fists as L made the threat. "I didn't come here for you, Lawliet. I came here to get that bastard Kira and I'll do whatever I need to in order to make sure you don't stop me."

He stormed out of the room before the old man or the detective could say anything else. A feeling in his gut was screaming to get out before attacking the man he copied. Unfortunately, not paying attention to where he was going caused Beyond to walk right into somebody. A quick upward glance told him it was Matsuda again; but, what the hell? The police officer found him to be a fascination. It couldn't hurt to chat with the fool.

"Sorry, Matsuda-san. Ryuzaki was a little worried, but it's all taken care of."

"That's great.... What do I call you again?"

"Ryuzaki is good; unless, of course, our favorite detective is in the room too. Then you can just call me Rue."

That got a smile. "Those scars... they look like they hurt."

Beyond stilled for a moment, thinking quickly. According to 'The Rules' he couldn't mention that he murdered three people, but L said nothing about him telling about his time as Rue. That, right there, gave him a brilliant idea. It would be just like when he first played Rue, only this time he only had one person to hunt down.

To Matsuda, he answered: "I was caught in a fire a few years ago on a case."

"You don't look like a police officer... Are you a detective too, like the other Ryuzaki? Or were you a private detective?"

"No," Beyond smiled as the words continued, "I feel the word 'private' carries with it an axis of neurotic egotism. You might say I was an un-private detective - a detective without an ego."

That gave Matsuda a moment of confusion as he worked through it. When the officer finally figured it out, he laughed. "Never heard it that way. So, what kind of case was it?"

"A triple homicide in LA. I almost became the fourth, but a lovely lady working alongside me on the case managed to save me from the fire."

"Wow. So what happened after? I mean, it looks like you healed well, but Ryuzaki seemed really surprised to see you."

"I was placed in an institution and released in January this year. After a little bit of time, I determined that Kira was in Japan and made my way here." Here Beyond stopped a moment, looking around to make sure L or Watari weren't lurking. "It's better that I'm here because this case, I think, is going to kill L."

"Seriously?! What makes you think that?" Matsuda's expressive face conveyed worry and confusion. 

"Call it... intuition. I can see Kira being more dangerous that you all are taking him. Kira is a coward. A psychopath with delusions of grandeur and no fear of being prosecuted."

Beyond took a breath. He knew that L probably saw him the same way, but Kira was a coward which Beyond Birthday was not. Between the two of them, Kira was the hypocrite who didn't get his hands dirty. That was something the criminal in Beyond couldn't stomach. Yes, Kira needed to be eradicated, but someone like L could never do it.

Matsuda had stopped speaking too, but he seemed more confused than thoughtful. Then, just when the officer looked ready to ask something else, L walked into the room with Watari. Both looked worn down; for L that was normal, but the old man looked ready to drop. 

"There is a seventy percent chance that I have determined the identity of the second Kira."

"Only seventy?" The criminal couldn't keep the mocking tone from his voice. "You're slipping in your old age."


	3. Chapter 3

"Miss Amane, who is Kira?"

Beyond walked into the occupied room and actually froze in place from the shock of what he saw. It wasn't that L had a girl chained up in an interrogation cell and was monitoring it... while surprising, that was probably just the detective going a bit overboard with his investigating. No, what shocked him was the lack of red numbers floating above the girl's head. He had never seen missing information except over his own head. It was fascinating and terrifying all at once.

"Ryuzaki, I need to speak to her."

The detective gestured to the microphone with a hand holding a lollipop. "If you must."

"No," Beyond replied with a shake of his head. "I need to talk to her face to face."

"Impossible. It is highly likely that she is the second Kira and that means she can kill at a glance. You may speak with her through this or not at all."

"You don't understand. She may be the other Kira, but she won't talk to you that way. Not even if you threatened her life." He tried to reason with the frustrating detective only to be waved away as though irrelevant. "Damn it, L! Why can't you listen? If I confront her directly, she may talk. If she kills me then you can feel happy knowing you were right and I'll be out of your way, but for the love of puzzles let me talk with her."

He knew his voice was raised by the time he finished, but Beyond honestly felt unable to care. He knew that the only way to get Amane to talk would be starting with him asking about the numbers and L was just trying to get in the way. He probably would have been okay if L said nothing and waved him off again because he had finally fought the great L's decisions publicly. Probably too publicly if Chief Yagami's shaking head was any indication.

Unfortunately, L had plenty to respond with as well. 

"You forget your place, Backup. This is my case and you are a 'guest' in these headquarters."

"I'm a hostage here."

"You are being a child. Do not forget what you are and do not make the mistake of thinking you could ever be on equal footing with me." L's voice was laced in venom. "Understand, Backup?"


	4. Chapter 4

"Understand, Backup?"

How many times had he heard those two words? Beyond's hands formed into two tight fists by the second 'backup' and by the third his entire body trembled in barely contained rage. It was the malice on L's tongue that finally snapped him.

"I'm not your fucking backup!" he screamed, launching himself at the detective. His left fist made contact with the detective's cheekbone and his right would have landed if Mr. Yagami hadn't caught him around the waist and hauled him out of the room. The Chief walked him down the hall to a room with two cots and a nearly full pot of coffee. 

Beyond was directed onto one of the cots where he huddled himself against the wall. His mind was running laps around those two words: understand, Backup. That was how Roger ended the lecture after A had been cleaned away. 

"You won't mention that again in this house. Do you understand, Backup?"

It was L's fault. All of it. If L hadn't laughed, Whammy would have gone to check on A and could probably have helped him. If A hadn't died, Beyond might have stayed at Whammy's house instead of going to LA. His three victims would still have died, but not by his hand. The biggest one hurt the most. If there had been no L, Beyond would never have become a copy of the blasted man.

Beyond curled in closer to himself and whispered, "I'm not Backup... Backup's dead.... Backup's dead.... He's dead."

He probably would have continued this is Mr. Yagami hadn't held a steaming cup of coffee in front of him. It smelled sweet, meaning there was sugar in the cup, so he accepted it with a quiet "Thank you" to the inspector.

There wasn't enough sugar, but it was tolerable. Either way, the gesture was greatly appreciated. The two drank coffee until the cups held nothing but dregs.

"Who was he?" the chief asked.

"Who?"

"You said Backup was dead. Who was he?" 

"He was L's second successor years ago. That's what they were trying to do" The boy seemed to sink further into his own mind as he spoke. "A died. Their 'Alternate' died and no one seemed to care. Even Whammy seemed to let it slip by.... Too focused on his precious detective to worry about another dead orphan, I guess. Backup left the house and was never seen again."

"That's too bad. What happened to A?"

Beyond looked up at the older man, eyes glancing just above his head for a moment before locking eyes. 

"He died." Beyond inhaled slowly. "Yagami-san, I can get Amane to talk to me. I know it and L's just being controlling. There's something not right about her that none of you see. Not even L."

Yagami nodded, seemingly in understanding, before coming over to the cot that Beyond was huddled on. In an extremely unfamiliar gesture the older man ruffled Beyond's dark hair though it appeared to do nothing to the rats' nest. He then moved to leave the room, pausing only a moment in the doorway.

"I don't think he died. I think he grew up and found his own life."

Beyond couldn't help it when the next words from his mouth slipped out. "Sorry about deceiving you... you know, the night you brought me here?"

If he had looked up, he might have seen the police chief smiling in acceptance of the apology. Beyond never did though. He stayed where he was, looking at the threads of the bedding while trying to calm down enough to go back out and face the blasted detective L.


End file.
